DEVGAMAN

North India · Valley

Valley of Flowers

A monsoon meadow of blue poppies and Brahma kamal above Ghangaria

30.72° N · 79.60° E
Alpine meadows in bloom in the Valley of Flowers with mist on the peaks above

Photo: Original: Rohit Sharma Derivative work: UnpetitproleX · CC BY-SA 4.0

Best months to be here

  • January
  • February
  • March
  • April
  • May
  • June
  • July — a best month
  • August — a best month
  • September — a best month
  • October
  • November
  • December

Best: Jul–Sep

At a glance

State
Uttarakhand
Region
North India
Kind of place
Valley · Timeless
Ideal stay
4 days
Altitude
3,500 m
Coordinates
30.72° N, 79.60° E

In 1931 the mountaineer Frank Smythe, coming down from Kamet in bad weather, walked into a valley so thick with flowers that he wrote a book about it, and the name stuck. The Pushpawati river runs its length, glaciers hang at its head, and from mid-July to mid-August the meadows bloom in waves: first white and yellow, then the blue Himalayan poppy, the pink of Impatiens, the maroon hood of the cobra lily, and on the high scree the Brahma kamal, Uttarakhand's state flower. Joan Margaret Legge, a Kew botanist who fell to her death collecting here in 1939, has a small grave in the valley.

It became a national park in 1982 and joined Nanda Devi as a World Heritage Site in 2005. The walk starts at Govindghat on the Badrinath road: a shared jeep to Pulna, then 9 km up the Lakshman Ganga gorge to Ghangaria, a mule-and-pilgrim village at 3,049 m that empties each night. From there the valley gate is 3 km on, and the flowers begin at the first bridge and run 7 km to the glacier.

No one may stay inside; you go in after 7 am and are out by 5 pm. The same base serves Hemkund Sahib at 4,329 m, a star-shaped gurudwara beside a lake where Guru Gobind Singh meditated in a previous life, and where langar is served in the snow. A day here is mist, sudden sun, wet boots and the strange joy of flowers at glacier height.

What not to miss in Valley of Flowers

  1. Blue poppies and Brahma kamal at peak bloom
  2. Pushpawati river and the glacier head of the valley
  3. Joan Legge's grave
  4. Hemkund Sahib gurudwara and lake (4,329 m)
  5. Ghangaria base village
  6. Lakshman Ganga gorge trail from Pulna

Best Jul–Sep

Best time to visit Valley of Flowers

Mid-July to mid-August for peak bloom; the park is open from June 1 to October; Hemkund Sahib opens late May to early October.

Give Valley of Flowers 4 days and it repays the time; with fewer you are choosing between Blue poppies and Brahma kamal at peak bloom and Pushpawati river and the glacier head of the valley. We build the hours around the weather — early starts when it is hot, long afternoons when it is not.

  • Ideal stay — 4 days
  • Season — Jul–Sep
Plan a trip here

On the ground

Things to do in Valley of Flowers

The days we would actually plan for you, in the order that suits the light.

  • Four-day trek Govindghat–Ghangaria–Valley–Hemkund–Govindghat
  • Guided botany walk with a park-registered naturalist
  • Pre-dawn climb to Hemkund Sahib for the morning ardas
  • Combine with a Badrinath darshan, 25 km up the road
  • Photography of monal and Himalayan black bear on the lower trail

At the table

What to eat in Valley of Flowers

  • Langar dal-roti at Hemkund and Govindghat gurudwaras
  • Aloo paratha at Ghangaria dhabas
  • Jhangora kheer
  • Maggi and ginger chai on the trail
  • Garhwali kafuli at Govindghat

Getting there

How to reach Valley of Flowers

Jolly Grant (Dehradun) airport 295 km to Govindghat; Rishikesh railhead 270 km; shared jeep Govindghat–Pulna 4 km, then 9 km trek to Ghangaria and 3 km to the park gate.

Airport pickups, station transfers and the driver for the days here are all part of what we arrange — including the hour you should leave, which is usually earlier than you think.

Travel tips from our trips

  • Permits are issued at the park gate above Ghangaria (fee for Indians and foreigners); entry stops around 2 pm and everyone must exit by 5 pm
  • Monsoon means rain most afternoons; carry a poncho, waterproof boots, a dry bag and quick-dry layers
  • No camping, cooking or plucking inside the park; the trail is a single line, so step aside for mules
  • Cover your head at Hemkund Sahib; the gurudwara offers free stay at Govindghat and Ghangaria
  • Helicopters fly Govindghat–Ghangaria in good weather; book both ways, as afternoon cloud grounds them

Next door

Near Valley of Flowers

Places that join Valley of Flowers without a long drive — the way a real week is built.

Brightly painted Badrinath temple on the Alaknanda with snow peaks behindTemple
Themes:SpiritualNatureAdventure

Uttarakhand

Badrinath

Vishnu's painted temple between Nar and Narayan on the Alaknanda

Ideal stay
2 days
Best time
May to June and September to October; the temple opens in late April or May and closes around mid-November; monsoon landslides make July–August risky
Snow-covered ski slopes of Auli with the Nanda Devi range on the horizonMountain
Themes:AdventureNatureRomancePhotography

Uttarakhand

Auli

Ski slopes and oak meadows facing Nanda Devi

Ideal stay
2 days
Best time
Late December to March for snow and skiing; May to June and September to October for the Gorson meadows and clear views of Nanda Devi
Kedarnath stone temple with snow-covered Kedar Dome rising behind itTemple
Themes:SpiritualAdventureNature

Uttarakhand

Kedarnath

A stone temple to Shiva beneath the glaciers of the Mandakini

Ideal stay
3 days
Best time
May to June and September to mid-October; the temple opens around Akshaya Tritiya
Tungnath stone temple on its ridge above Chopta with snow peaks beyondMountain
Themes:SpiritualAdventureNaturePhotography

Uttarakhand

Chopta & Tungnath

The highest Shiva temple, and a summit facing Nanda Devi

Ideal stay
3 days
Best time
March to June for rhododendron and meadows; September to November for clear peaks; December to February for snow treks

From the journal

Reading on Valley of Flowers

Snow-covered high Himalayan peaks in northern India, one end of the country's wide climatic range

· Guide · 6 min

Best Time to Visit India: A Month-by-Month Guide

India is not one climate but six, from a Himalayan cold desert at 3,500 metres to hills that take eleven metres of rain a year. Here is the whole calendar, month by month, with the regions, roads and parks that open and close with it.

Before you ask

Questions we are asked about Valley of Flowers

When is the best time to visit Valley of Flowers?
Mid-July to mid-August for peak bloom; the park is open from June 1 to October; Hemkund Sahib opens late May to early October. On the calendar that is Jul–Sep. We build Valley of Flowers into a journey inside that window wherever we can; when your dates are fixed outside it, we re-plan the hours of the day around the weather rather than talk you out of the trip.
How many days do you need in Valley of Flowers?
We plan 4 days in Valley of Flowers. That is enough for Blue poppies and Brahma kamal at peak bloom, Pushpawati river and the glacier head of the valley and Joan Legge's grave, at a pace that still leaves room for a long lunch. Add a day if you are continuing to Badrinath and Auli.
How do you reach Valley of Flowers?
Jolly Grant (Dehradun) airport 295 km to Govindghat; Rishikesh railhead 270 km; shared jeep Govindghat–Pulna 4 km, then 9 km trek to Ghangaria and 3 km to the park gate. We arrange the transfer and the driver as part of the journey, so you are met on arrival instead of negotiating a taxi at the gate, and the timings are set around when Valley of Flowers is at its best rather than around the clock.
What is Valley of Flowers famous for?
Valley of Flowers is a valley in Uttarakhand, North India, best known for Blue poppies and Brahma kamal at peak bloom, Pushpawati river and the glacier head of the valley and Joan Legge's grave. Travellers come for nature, adventure, photography and spiritual, and most give it 4 days.
Is Valley of Flowers good for families?
Valley of Flowers sits at 3,500 m, so altitude decides it. It suits families with older children who can give a day to acclimatising before anything strenuous. We plan 4 days here, keep the first one slow, and travel in Jul–Sep when the road and the weather are at their most forgiving.

Photograph of Valley of Flowers: Original: Rohit Sharma Derivative work: UnpetitproleX · CC BY-SA 4.0

All destinations

Valley of Flowers, planned by hand

Shall we begin?

चलिए, शुरू करते हैं

Tell us how many days you have. We will build Valley of Flowers into a journey that suits them.